Support Federal Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act

Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503, S. 727)
will end the slaughter of horses for human consumption and the
domestic and international transport of live horses or
horseflesh for human consumption.

Horses have served humans throughout history, carrying us on
their backs, tilling our fields, drawing wagons and carriages,
and enriching our lives as friends and companions. In the United
States, horses have never been raised for human consumption, yet
for decades, our horses have been bought and slaughtered by a
predatory, foreign-owned industry for sale to high-end diners in
Europe and Asia. In 2007, the slaughter of horses on US soil
came to an end when a court ruling upheld a Texas law banning
horse slaughter, and similar legislation was passed in Illinois.

However, failure by the US Congress to pass legislation
banning horse slaughter means that American horses are still
being slaughtered for human consumption abroad. Tens of
thousands are shipped to Mexico and Canada annually, where they
are killed under barbaric conditions so their meat can continue
to satisfy the palates of overseas diners in countries such as
Italy, France, Belgium and Japan.

Additionally, without the federal law, there remains the
threat that horse slaughter plants may set up shop in states
that have no laws against the practice. In the beginning of
2008, unsuccessful attempts were made to open a horse
slaughterhouse in South Dakota and overturn the Illinois ban. It
is likely that pro-horse slaughter organizations will try again
elsewhere in the United States, including Texas and Illinois.

Ironically, while the most vocal opponents of the effort to
end horse slaughter decry the closure of the domestic plants and
subsequent increase in the export of horses for slaughter, some
actively partner with the very slaughterhouses that are shipping
our horses to Mexico.

While a handful of horses are purposely sold into slaughter
by irresponsible owners, most arrive at the slaughterhouse via
livestock auction, where unsuspecting owners sell the animals to
slaughterhouse middlemen known as “killer buyers.” Despite the
fact that the US plants are no longer in operation, killer
buyers continue to purchase and haul as many horses as possible
from livestock auctions around the country to the
slaughterhouses that have now relocated to Mexico and Canada.

Wild horses are also slaughtered, since a 2004 backdoor
Congressional rider engineered by then-Senator Conrad Burns
(R–MT) gutted the protections afforded by the Wild Free-Roaming
Horses and Burros Act of 1971. Now, the Bureau of Land
Management, the agency responsible for protecting wild horses,
must sell “excess” horses (those 10 years of age or older, or
not adopted after three tries) at auction. As a result, wild
horses are being removed from their range at an alarming rate
and sold for slaughter. Sadly, the American Quarter Horse
Association has hired former Senator Conrad Burns to lobby
against legislation banning horse slaughter and other equine
welfare measures.

Although awareness has grown exponentially in recent years,
the horse meat trade is still relatively hidden from most
Americans, and the industry wants to keep it that way. Warren
Smith, operations manager of a Canadian horse slaughterhouse,
was quoted as saying to the Edmonton Journal, “Talking about
horses is kind of a scary thing, especially in the West, where
people think it’s more of a pet than protein. When anybody
starts writing about horses, everybody gets up in arms. Every
time we say anything about horse in the paper, there’s always an
uproar, so I don’t want to talk about it.”

The suffering begins long before our horses even reach the
slaughterhouse. Conditions of transport are appalling, with
horses regularly hauled to our domestic borders on journeys
lasting more than 24 hours. Deprived of food, water or rest, the
horses are forced onto double-decked cattle trailers with
ceilings so low that they injure their heads. Not only are these
double-deckers inhumane, but they are also dangerous and have
been involved in a number of tragic accidents.

The notorious “Wadsworth Crash” occurred in 2007 when a
double-decker carrying 59 Belgian draft horses “blew through a
stop light” and overturned in Illinois. For five hours, police
officers, firefighters, local horse owners and other members of
the community fought to free the horses from the mangled truck.
By the time all the horses had been removed, nine had died, and
another six later died because of the injuries they sustained.

In fact, federal regulations governing the transport of
horses to slaughter are so deficient that they allow the
movement of blind horses, horses with broken legs and heavily
pregnant mares.

Upon arrival at the slaughterhouse, the suffering continues
unabated. Horses can be left for long periods in tightly packed
trailers, subjected to further extremes of heat and cold. In hot
weather, their thirst is acute. Downed animals are unable to
rise, and horses are offloaded using excessive force.

When the horses are herded through the plant to slaughter,
callous workers use fiberglass rods to poke and beat their
faces, necks, backs and legs as the animals are shoved through
the facility and into the kill box. Subjected to overcrowding,
deafening sounds and the smell of blood, the horses become more
and more desperate, exhibiting fear typical of “flight”
behavior—pacing in prance-like movements with their ears pinned
back against their heads and eyes wide open.

Conditions over the border are even worse than those at the
previously operational US plants. A 2007 investigation by The
San Antonio News-Express revealed that the use of the puntilla
knife on horses prior to slaughter is common practice in Mexican
slaughter plants, such as a facility currently owned by Beltex,
formerly operating in Texas.

Footage obtained by the paper shows horses being stabbed
repeatedly in the neck with these knives prior to slaughter.
Such a barbaric practice simply paralyzes the animal. The horse
is still fully conscious at the start of the slaughter process,
during which he or she is hung by a hind leg, his or her throat
slit and body butchered. Death, the final betrayal of these
noble animals, is protracted and excruciating.

DEBUNKING THE “UNWANTED HORSE” MYTH

In recent years, pro-horse slaughter organizations and
individuals have consistently fought adoption of the American
Horse Slaughter Prevention Act and Prevention of Equine Cruelty
Act, claiming that there is a huge “unwanted horse” population
in the United States. Proponents of this unsubstantiated claim,
including the American Association of Equine Practitioners, the
American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Quarter
Horse Association (all members of the Horse Welfare Coalition, a
group founded and led by the slaughterhouses and represented by
former US Representative Charlie Stenholm of Texas) have lobbied
Congress to block passage of the federal ban. Their premise is
that slaughter improves horse welfare—offering a “humane” way to
dispose of these animals, a “necessary evil” without which
horses would be subjected to neglect, abandonment and abuse.

In truth, no hard data exists to back up claims about a
burgeoning population of “unwanted horses.” What is clear is
that killer buyers working for the slaughterhouses are
outbidding other buyers at auction because they have the
financial incentive to do so. The market for slaughter horses is
set by the international demand for their meat in other
countries, not by the number of supposedly unwanted horses.

Thankfully, a truly humane veterinary organization has
emerged to counter the bogus claims of these veterinary and
industry organizations.

Veterinarians for Equine Welfare (VEW) was founded by a group
of leading veterinarians to help educate the public about horse
slaughter from a veterinary position.

During a trip to meet with legislators in Washington, D.C.,
VEW co-founder Dr. Nicholas Dodman said, “Horse owners currently
have two options when their horse has reached the end of his or
her trail: They can pay to do the right thing (re-home or
euthanasia) or be paid to do the wrong thing (send to
slaughter). A few thoughtless folks choose to do the latter, and
it should not be an option.”

ILLEGALLY ACQUIRED HORSES

Hundreds—perhaps thousands—of our horses are stolen each
year. Horse thieves make quick money by unloading illegally
obtained horses to killer buyers and slaughterhouses.
Slaughterhouses typically kill and process them so quickly that
it is almost impossible to trace and recover stolen animals in
time to save their lives. Who would imagine their stolen animal
was hauled across the border to be slaughtered for meat?

Judy Taylor of Kentucky sought help in caring for her two
beloved Appaloosa horses, Poco and PJ, due to her own serious
health problems. At the recommendation of a friend, she
contacted Lisa and Jeff Burgess. The couple agreed to take care
of the animals with the understanding that, if they were unable
to continue doing so, the horses would be returned to Judy.
Despite this agreement, within seven days of receiving the
horses, the Burgesses sold them to a known killer buyer. Soon
after, Judy discovered what had happened and frantically
searched for the horses acquired with fraudulent intentions.

Eventually, she learned the horrifying truth—her horses had
been slaughtered for their meat. Successful charges were brought
against the Burgesses. The Kentucky Court of Appeals noted, “The
Burgesses’ conduct clearly rises to the level of being
outrageous and intolerable in that it offends generally accepted
standards of decency and morality, certainly a situation in
which the recitation of the facts to an average member of the
community would arouse his resentment against the actor, and
lead him to exclaim, ‘Outrageous!’”

In another tragic case, a horse owner in northwest Oklahoma
contacted the Animal Welfare Institute to report that her two
pregnant mares were purchased by someone who in turn sold them
for slaughter. “Nobody that works at the auction barn let me
know who was buying,” she said. “I found out when I went to the
office to ask how to notify the buyers so I could send them the
breeding certificates.” When the staff hinted that no
certificates would be needed, the owner suspected something
might be wrong. By the time she located the buyers, the mares
had already been sent to Mexico and slaughtered.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Do not sell your horse at an auction where killer buyers may
operate. Consider donating your horse to a rescue organization
or retirement farm; donating, selling or leasing your horse to a
therapeutic riding program; or selling the horse privately to an
individual with proper references and a legally binding
agreement that the horse will never be sold to slaughter. Humane
euthanasia by a licensed veterinarian is preferable to cruel
transport and slaughter.

Stolen horses may frequently end up at the slaughterhouse.
Please report any stolen horses to local and state authorities.
Likewise, if you witness an abused or abandoned horse, please
report the details to your local animal control authority for
further investigation. Not only does such abuse and neglect
require immediate attention for the obvious welfare reasons, but
these horses are also at risk of being sold into slaughter by
uncaring owners.

Help raise awareness on the issue of horse slaughter by
writing letters to the editors of your local newspapers and any
equine publications you read. Talk about the horrors of horse
slaughter and the solution to this cruelty: passage of
legislation banning horse slaughter. You can also help our
campaign by distributing AWI's "Betraying Our Equine Ally"
brochure to others; extra copies are available from AWI upon
request. Finally, contact your elected officials in the US
Congress to let them know that you strongly support passage of
the Act.

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